The BEST Wild Game Jalapeño Poppers

Holy jalapeño- these elk poppers are the bomb! I started making these poppers last year and they are by far my most requested wild game recipe. They’re so easy to make, and they are always a huge hit whenever I serve them so I highly recommend these babies next time you have to make an appetizer! Make sure you make extra because they’re also AMAZING the next day as leftovers too!

This is the first blog that I’ve talked about hunting, which is a huge part of my life, so let’s set the record straight from the start: I am a very PROUD hunter. My dad is a hunter and his father was before him. Hunting is something that’s been passed down for generations in my family, and the reason I love it so much is because I want to know exactly where the meat on my dinner plate comes from. I want to know that the protein I am eating came from an animal that had a wild life, free of cages and hormones and GMOs. I want to appreciate the animal that gave its life to feed my family, and every single time I thaw out elk steak or deer sausage, I do exactly that because I know the hard work that went into getting that meat into my freezer. On top of that, I also love the adventure of being outdoors in the fresh air and the challenge of hiking to the top of the mountain and spending time with my friends and family in the wilderness. All of those things fill my soul with happiness.

I also love the fact that hunters raise more money for conservation and wildlife management programs than any other group of activists on this planet. I love hunting for so many reasons, which I will be writing about in more detail in future blogs, but for now, that’s a summarized explanation of why I hunt and why I prefer eating wild game over store-bought meat whenever possible. In saying this, most of my recipes revolve around wild game because that’s what my freezer is filled with (the elk I hunted last year will feed Tim, Leni, and I for the entire year!). However, I know not everyone has access to wild game year-round, so you can often substitute the meat I use with a similar type of meat, like lean beef, bison, or even turkey or chicken. Leave a comment below if you try an alternate protein and let me know how it turns out!

I love, love, love to cook but with a really busy life (like a lot of you out there), sometimes I find it hard to make enough time to cook a meal and handle all the clean-up that goes along with it. About a year ago I started using a Traeger Grill (the one pictured below is not available at Cabela’s quite yet, but they have a great selection like this onethat I love and this one which is slightly smaller) and since then I’ve been cooking way more often because grilling keeps the mess outside, so my clean-up time is much quicker and it’s a healthy way to cook without using butters and oils. These poppers aren’t exactly diet-friendly (Hello, cream cheese and bacon!), but knowing that they’re grilled on my Traeger somehow makes me feel better about eating all of them in one go.

I used to make a more complicated version of this recipe, but I eventually simplified the ingredients and they taste just as good, and take way less time to prepare. Whether you have a Traeger or you’re using your regular grill or indoor oven, these poppers are YUM-NATION! They’re perfect to bring to a party, perfect for dinner with your family, or really perfect for no particular reason other than you want to eat something absolutely delicious.

(Makes 40 poppers)

MARINADE:

1 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 cup soy sauce

INGREDIENTS:

2-4 elk steaks, depending how big they are (optional: can substitute elk steaks for dove breasts or any other wild-game steaks)

20 fresh Jalapeño peppers

12 oz. Herb & Garlic flavored Cream Cheese (Or any herb-flavored soft cheese will work – I used Alouette because that’s what I had in the fridge!)

20 strips of bacon, cut in half

Honey to drizzle at the end (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Thinly slice steaks into bite-sized pieces so they are approximately the same width and length as the jalapeños. Mix marinade ingredients together in a big bowl. Add sliced steak, cover, and let sit for at least 2 hours (I marinate them overnight).

Preheat Traeger (or regular oven/grill) to 350 degrees. Cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise; remove seeds and center membrane, lay on a platter, cut side up. Spoon Cream Cheese equally into all jalapeño halves. Lay one slice of marinated elk on top of each jalapeño. Wrap each jalapeño popper in one piece of bacon. Place on grill, cut side up for 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked and jalapeños are tender and lightly charred. Once you remove them from the grill, drizzle honey on poppers if you’re feeling extra wild – this gives them a sweet kick that cuts the spice!

I hope you love the recipe as much as I do! What are your go-to wild game recipes? What appies do you bring to parties?? What recipes do you want to see more of? Comment below and make sure you subscribe to my blog so you’re the first to get all the news!

I truly enjoy your Blog especially this one where you talk about being PROUD to be a Huntress! When I remember the first time (many years ago) seeing you hunting with your Dad on a bear hunt in Alaska, it awakened the desire in me to be YOU. Of course my days of youth is over but my season of wisdom is still growing with your every post. Thank you for All you represent and your example of God Living!

I too am PROUD to be a hunter. I have now been hunting for 48 years and God willing I will continue to do so for many more to come. Thank you for your blog. I just finished your book and I wanted to let you know I really enjoyed it.

We do poppers with duck breast and dove breast the same way as your elk recipe. Wish we had elk in Delaware 😊 however, my hubby hunts frequently on MD’s eastern shore for Sika deer (elk relation) and man oh man…..best meat ever!

Yay!! Hopefully one day I will be able to try these with elk I’ve harveseted, but for now I can’t wait to try theses with duck and venison! Bonus to make them in the summer with jalapeños from our garden!

These would be so perfect for cabin parties this summer! I’m from Northwestern Ontario and have only ever hunted in my area so no elk for me (hopefully I’ll get to go a hunt someday!) I’m going to give these a try with deer tenderloin, yum!

I’m anxious to try your recipe. These look yummy! My husband introduced me to hunting over 30 years ago and it has been awesome to hunt together. Keep up the good work sharing your experiences and being such a positive voice for women hunters.

Love Jalapeño Poppers! I can’t wait to try this recipes! And I used this marinade the other week on a roast m, I saw it on your Insta feed, and it was AMAZING!
P.S. I think you should do a post about how you do your hair 😉

Love all the links to products in the photos, it gives me new ideas of places to shop. You’re absolutely killing it with this blog. Can’t wait to see all of the house posts and home decor. Thanks for sharing some new game recipes (my hubby will be happy)! Empowered women, empower women. Keep up the great work!

I’m so excited to try these! Venison and elk have been my family’s primary source of protein all my life since my dad is one of the most passionate and successful hunters I know! I’ve literally been hunting since before I was born (as my mom very impressively climbed into tree-stands both pregnant AND with me in a papoose the following year). You would think that after all these years, I would have a library of recipes stashed away; but I’m really just now branching out and trying to learn the best ways to cook wild game, especially since I am beginning to bring different types of wild game to the table! Any wild game recipe you have, please post! I can’t wait to try them out!

Btw, you are so inspiring and lovely and it is so refreshing to see someone so passionate about hunting, conservation, healthy living, and family! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you at the Cabela’s in Allen, TX when you were promoting your book! And speaking of, after reading about your first warthog hunt, I had to look up the video and then cried watching it because it was so similar to my first hunt with my dad, all the way down to the “do I shoot it now?” parts. Anyway, thanks for the blog and the uplifting messages!

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About

I’m a wife, new mama, author, TV co-host, social media influencer, and enthusiast for all things outdoors! I am so excited to share my love for family, home, healthy living and the field-to-table lifestyle through my blog. Welcome to my life!